TLDR Croatia will send over €214 million from gambling revenue to social programs next year, roughly double the previous €130 million cycle. About €144 million comes from 2026 gambling activity, with nearly €70 million carried over from unused 2025 funds. New rules include a 50% hike in license fees and a tiered tax on winnings ranging from 10% to 30%. Health officials estimate 40,000 Croatian adults struggle with severe gambling disorders, with teens flagged as a vulnerable group. The new funding framework is now in a public consultation phase before final rules are set.
Croatia plans to direct more than €214 million in gambling-related revenue toward social and public interest programs next year. State Treasurer Danijela Stepić confirmed the figure, calling it the largest distribution of its kind since the country began setting aside gambling proceeds for civic causes.
The amount marks a sharp increase from the roughly €130 million allocated during the previous funding cycle. Most of the new total, about €144 million, is expected to come from gambling activity during 2026.
The remaining nearly €70 million comes from funds left over from 2025 that were not spent. Combined, the two sources push the total well past prior years.
The increase comes as the government continues reshaping gambling laws. The ruling Croatian Democratic Union has spent 2025 and 2026 revising the Games of Chance Act.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković pushed the amendments forward after winning a third term in 2024. Officials describe the changes as an effort to move gambling policy toward public benefit rather than industry profit.
Gambling Harm in Croatia
Health authorities have raised concerns about gambling harm for years. Roughly 40,000 adults in Croatia are estimated to have severe gambling disorders.
Studies have also placed Croatian teenagers among the groups most at risk